PELLETISERS | MACHINERY
Automatic approach to quality pellets
Compounders worldwide are looking to pelletiser automation to improve quality, efficiency, flexibility, and safety, as well as deal with a shortage of skilled workers. Jennifer Markarian reports
Today’s plastics industry, including compounders and recyclers producing pelletised materials, is responding to a new operating environment characterised by the challenges of fluctuation in the economy, availability of employees, and material supply. Current supply-chain issues are making production planning more difficult and are driving an increasing need for flexibility in operations, which must be supported by both personnel and machinery. Faced with such challenges, compounders should consider taking a holistic view of downstream equipment with a focus on systems providing easy changeover, cleanability, accessibility and flexibility, according to Alexander Helm, Product Manager Dry Cut at Maag Group. In addition, and he says this is especially important given personnel shortages, automated machines should be sought to help minimise operator attendance. Recent Maag Group pelletiser developments include completing the combination of the Automatik-Scheer product line into a new generation of strand pelletisers, as well as the
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introduction of its Zero-Gap system for cutting very fine fibres on strand pelletisers. The latter is being used, for example, for a specialty PP fibre used as reinforcement in construction materials. “In traditional strand pelletising applications, a minimal cutting gap must be maintained between the rotating cutting rotor and the fixed cutting bar. The Zero-Gap system allows the cutting rotor to touch the fixed knife during operation, with the result that even very thin fibres can be cut accurately,” says Helm. Maag has also further optimised its Pearlo
underwater pelletiser technology, which is designed to process spherical pellets at high capacities of up to 36,000 kg/hr (79,200 lbs/hr). This flexible system can be used to pelletise virgin materials, compounds, masterbatches, engineering plastics, wood and natural fibre-filled polymer composites, and thermoplastic elastomers, as well as for varied recycling applications. Helm says the Pearlo pelletiser integrates
moveable and flexible components on one frame to ensure increased uptime. “The combination of
January 2022 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 41
Main image: Fast product changeover, flexible operation, and automated setup and operation are becoming priority requirements in pelletiser selection
IMAGE: MAAG GROUP
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